Understanding the Israel-Palestine conflict requires examining its deep-rooted historical context. The conflict traces its origins back to the early 20th century when Britain gained control of Palestine after World War I. At that time, Palestine was home to a Jewish minority and an Arab majority. The international community tasked Britain with creating a Jewish homeland in Palestine, which heightened tensions between these two communities.
In the 1920s and 1940s, Jewish immigration to Palestine increased significantly, driven by Jews fleeing persecution in Europe, particularly in the aftermath of the Holocaust. This influx of Jewish immigrants led to increased friction between Jews and Arabs and resistance to British rule.
In 1947, the United Nations voted to divide Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states, with Jerusalem under international administration. While the Jewish leadership embraced this plan, the Arab side rejected it, leading to its failure. In 1948, British authorities withdrew, and Jewish leaders declared the founding of Israel, resulting in a war between Israel and neighboring Arab countries. This conflict led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, an event they refer to as Al Nakba or 'The Catastrophe.'
Subsequent years witnessed several skirmishes between Israel and Palestine, some minor and others with catastrophic consequences. In 1987, Hamas, a political group with military capabilities, was launched as a political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood. Both Palestinian uprisings, known as 'intifadas,' significantly affected Israeli-Palestinian relations, with Hamas playing a role in both.
In 2000, the Camp David Summit aimed at reaching a final status agreement between Israel and Palestine ended without resolution, further souring relations between the two nations.